The San Francisco Giants snatched a 5-4 extra-innings win against the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday night at PNC Park, finally putting a better taste in their mouth after Tuesday’s brutal loss. That game saw them erase a five-run deficit in the eighth, only to get walked off in the ninth when Rafael Devers could not snag a tricky throw from Osleivis Basabe. Talk about a gut punch.
Eldridge Steps Up Big With Family Watching
This win was all about the bounce-back, and nobody epitomized that more than Bryce Eldridge. With his grandmother watching him play at the big league level for the first time, just days after his grandfather passed away, Eldridge delivered the go-ahead run. He smashed an RBI double the other way in the 10th inning, getting to former Giant Camilo Doval’s slider and easily scoring the ghost runner from third. What a moment. This rookie season is shaping up to be one of the most impressive across the National League, seriously. Eldridge, known for that towering stance and massive swing, is showing an unbelievable approach, shortening up when he needs to, taking walks, and limiting his chase. The kid is straight up fearsome against the four-seam fastball, Statcast estimating he has created 15 runs off it, batting .360 with a .686 slugging percentage and a .503 weighted on-base average. He’s for real.
Devers Is On Fire, Rewriting History
While the Giants’ season might be “dead” as far as the standings go, Rafael Devers is absolutely *alive* at the plate. The dude extended his hit streak to 10 games with a two-hit performance that included a solo home run, giving the Giants an early 1-0 lead. That shot was his 32nd of the year, marking his third straight game with a homer. Last year, Willy Adames was the first Giant to hit 30 home runs since Barry Bonds crushed 45 back in 2004. At this pace, Devers could become the first since Bonds in 2004 to hit 40! He has cranked seven home runs over his last 13 games, dating back to an August 21 blast against his former team, the Boston Red Sox. This power surge is absolutely stunning considering he only had *two* home runs through his first 36 games this year. That is not a typo. He is the first player in league history to hit two or fewer homers through his first 36 games and still reach 30 homers before September. Since hitting his third on May 6, Devers is hitting .264 with a .916 OPS and 68 RBIs. You just do not see that kind of turnaround.
Roupp’s Cutter Carves Up The Pirates
On the mound, Landen Roupp was locking it down, allowing just one run over five innings, giving up two hits and two walks while striking out four. Roupp has carved his place in the rotation using that pretty, biting curveball along with his fastball, but he is surviving the bumps by incorporating secondary pitches, especially his cutter and changeup. That cutter, a pitch he started getting comfortable with last year, was huge against Pittsburgh’s left-hand-heavy lineup. Of his 75 pitches, 30 were cutters, and five of his nine swing-and-misses came off that pitch. That is the most cutters he has thrown in any game of his three-year career. The kid is adapting and it shows.
The Giants are back at it against the Pirates today. Can Devers keep this insane power streak going? Will Eldridge continue to show that clutch approach? These individual performances are setting some serious bars for the future.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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